Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis watermelon goat cheese salad recipe is the perfect sweet and savory side dish! Juicy, ripe watermelon are cubed and mixed with crumbled goat cheese, fresh greens, topped with a 5-minute vinaigrette dressing and quick pickled onions.
This salad takes just 20 minutes to make, and requires no cooking! It’s elegant enough to bring to a party, but simple enough for a picnic, BBQ, or gathering with friends and family. Everyone will love this refreshing tangy salad!
Want more easy salad ideas? Try our couscous salad with feta, mango shrimp avocado salad, or our popular Mediterranean pasta salad recipe!
Summer is here, and with the hot weather I like to reduce the amount of cooking I am doing (limiting our stove/oven time) and focus on tasty and refreshing salads. And this is not your boring everyday salad – it’s bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables, and is BIG on summertime flavor. I was inspired to make this after having a delicious watermelon salad at The Italian Farmhouse in Bragg Creek, Alberta, and I had to make an easy version at home.
Start by dicing up ripe watermelon, preparing a quick 5-minute dressing, and tossing the greens and fruit together with some pickled red onions for extra color and flavor. I’ve made this salad a few times already this year (it’s delicious served with copycat Olive Garden herb grilled salmon off the grill, or our favorite spinach artichoke alfredo pasta) and it’s a hit every time!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s light, refreshing, sweet, and tangy!
- A great sweet/savory side dish everyone will love.
- This versatile dish can be served as an appetizer or side dish alongside your favorite protein: chicken, beef, pork, or fish.
- It comes together in about 15-20 minutes, so it’s a quick meal idea.
- Follow our step-by-step photos and directions below, anyone can successfully make this salad!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
The base of this salad is sweet, ripe summer watermelon. I used about 4 cups cubed (about 1/4 of a large watermelon). You can cut up your own watermelon, or buy pre-sliced or cubed watermelon from the store if that is easier.
Tangy goat cheese adds a wonderful flavor in each bite. I like tossing the salad greens with the goat cheese to really make the flavors meld.
I used mixed salad greens, because I like the variety of lettuces in spring mix. You can use your favorite lettuce – baby spinach, baby kale, or arugula would all be delicious options.
The extra veggies in this salad are sweet summer cherry tomatoes and quick 15-minute pickled onions. Both give this salad extra complexity and bold flavor.
A quick 5-minute vinaigrette dressing adds a wonderful flavor and tang! I used olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and fresh garlic. It only takes a few minutes to make, and pairs so well with the greens and watermelon.
Additions and Substitutions
If you have a store bought vinaigrette that you love, you could substitute that instead of the homemade dressing.
And if you don’t have watermelon, or want to add another fruit some great options would be sliced peaches, pitted cherries, or mangoes, or pears.
Make this salad a full meal, by topping this salad with oven baked chicken shawarma, grilled arctic char, or sliced smoked chicken breasts in an electric smoker.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a small mason jar, add the pickled onion ingredients: thinly sliced onions, sugar, salt, and white vinegar. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.
Step 2: Meanwhile, slice your watermelon, remove the rind, and cube the inner fruit into 1-inch chunks. Set them aside.
Step 3: Mix all the salad dressing ingredients together in a mason jar or a small bowl. Shake well to combine.
Step 4: In a large salad bowl, add the mixed greens and the crumbled goat cheese. Pour the dressing over the greens, and toss well to combine.
Step 5: Add the cubed watermelon to a plate.
Step 6: Top with the goat cheese salad, and add the sliced cherry tomatoes and a forkful of the pickled onions. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Our watermelon salad recipe has a delicious and tangy vinaigrette dressing, that takes just 5 minutes to make! It has olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic Dijon mustard, sugar, and salt. The flavor pairs so well with the fresh sweet watermelon, and it’s great for entertaining for brining to a potluck or backyard BBQ.
You can make the pickled onions and the dressing ahead of time, but the rest of the watermelon salad is best assembled fresh.
At the store, look for a seedless variety that feels heavy for its size and has a yellow spot, which is a sign that the watermelon is ripe (and was ripened in the sun).
More Modern Salad Ideas
- Lemony Couscous Salad with Feta and Chickpeas
- Cottage Cheese Macro Salad Recipe
- Copycat CPK Thai Crunch Salad
- Mango Shrimp Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe (Sam’s Club Copycat)
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Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
For the Watermelon Salad
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 ounces spring mix
- 4 cups diced watermelon about 1/4 of a large watermelon
- 4 ounces goat cheese plain chevre
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
For the Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small mason jar, add the pickled onion ingredients: thinly sliced onions, sugar, salt, and white vinegar. Let them soak for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice your watermelon, remove the rind, and cube the inner fruit into 1-inch chunks. Set them aside.
- Mix all the salad dressing ingredients together in a mason jar or a small bowl. Shake well to combine.
- In a large salad bowl, add the mixed greens and the crumbled goat cheese. Pour the dressing over the greens, and toss well to combine.
- Add the cubed watermelon to a plate.
- Top with the goat cheese salad, and add the sliced cherry tomatoes and a forkful of the pickled onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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What a fantastic combination of flavors